Cha-cha-cha-changes and the Green Acres Inn

I have been writing a series about my son living at university in another town. I like to explore his temporary home whenever we go to visit him either for pick ups or drop offs. It is a town our family has grown to love. The series is called #QueensUmum and it is about our adventures in Kingston, Ontario.

I would never have found this lovely place if not for the fact that my son is attending Queen’s University. It’s limestone buildings are rich with the history of Britain and Canada.

We’ve stayed in many fine hotels since the summer of 2015. Recently, my husband and I stayed at Green Acres Inn then collected our son the next day. It was so nice to have a rest before the long drive home. It was also like a mini vacation – much needed during the crazy days before Christmas.

Let me tell you about my new favourite ‘home away from home’…

This is a place I will come back to and with my whole family next time. In the summer there is a lovely pool to use and space to walk around. This inn is also dog friendly! I’ll bring mine along next time for sure! They give the dogs their own little beds, dishes, special treats and towels for wiping little wet paws. Incredible! Plus lots of room outside to run around in.

My husband and I went nuts for this filtered water. It was absolutely delicious.

The room was clean, accommodating and the staff very friendly. I loved the extra little touches they added to the room – things like fresh flowers, filtered water, beautiful and comfortable bedding. There was lots of comfortable seating, outlets and lighting. We also had a kitchenette with a bar fridge, sink, microwave and all the dishes you could need.

I love the flowers, the soap and the cuteness of these items beside the bathroom sink. And yay there were cotton swabs in the jar – I forgot mine!

In the morning, this homemade breakfast was delivered to us. We ordered the night before and had fresh squeezed orange juice, lattes, fresh baked muffins, croissants, danishes, and jam that is made on site.

This was a fantastic, delicious and warm breakfast. Only a little extra and worth every cent.

If you want to take your family away to Kingston I recommend this place. The room, staff, food, amenities were outstanding. The prices very reasonable and they allow dogs in some of the rooms. It’s also right in the centre of town. I understand how this Inn is considered one of the best In Kingston on Travelocity. Make sure you order breakfast too! You can’t beat the value.

The reason we went out in the first place…

First semester with our son was full of so many big life changes. He’s our first to live away from home and become somewhat independent. He’s officially started his move into his own life, away from the safety of home. If you’ve followed any of the previous #QueensUmum posts, you’ll know that this has been much harder on me than him. Also surprisingly, he’s managed to keep himself fed, relatively clean clothed and healthy.

He’s met new people from around the world and gained exposure to countless new points of view. He’s survived first semester. I survived first semester.

It turned out to be a false alarm when his phone ‘pocket’ triggered an emergency call notifying everyone in his phonebook that he needed help immediately. It sent us two emergency messages, map coordinates, pictures from front and back cameras and a sound recording.

This was very scary especially since he turned his phone off when we all started calling back at the same time. (He had been writing an exam and was told by the Prof to turn his phone off. ) His friends at Queen’s left their classes to head to the location his phone had indicated.

Talk about a heart attack! I called Campus Security, they called the local police who then followed up with the kid in person after we confirmed it was a false alarm. Good to know they took it seriously.

Now for the big news. Our son has decided to switch programs. You’d think this was a fairly common experience but there seems to be many hurdles to get over now. When we first started looking into this, an advisor was telling him he’d have to wait two years before he could apply to the other program. Not cool.

As it turns out, between summer school and extra classes it looks like he’ll be pretty close to starting in September. But the hoops! It’s hard to believe what he has to go through and the fees, to apply for an internal transfer. The ironic thing is that he’d applied and been accepted once already into the school of engineering back in high school. Oh well, that boat has already sailed.

As we approach the second month of this year I am hopeful that we continue to successfully adapt to all the changes around here. And even more exciting – it’s another Census year in Canada. That means a busy summer ahead.

Until the next time – stay eclectic!

Check out some great bloggers I’ve met recently:

Disclaimer: we were invited to stay at this Inn and share our opinions.

I would love to know more about the emergency phone thingy. How frightening! My daughter is now in grad school, accumulating a horrific amount of debt, and 2000 miles away from us. It is wonderful that your son is still close enough to easily visit.

Hi Nancy. It is a feature of the phone he has – one button touch to make an emergency call. To be honest, neither of us had heard of it before this happened and he’s since managed to shut it off. No more emergency ‘butt dialling’ from that phone.
The debt part of it is terrible but I figure his dad and I managed to survive it with less support from our families so he should make out ok.
I’m so glad he is this close to us – he considered going to school in BC, the other side of the country which would have been heartbreaking. This is much better this way! It must be really tough having your daughter so far away. Good thing we have technology.

I’m loving your snow drops. Its currently 26 degrees celsius and 99% humidity in Auckland, NZ where I live and work. I can only imagine how scary it must of been to receive those messages and then get no response to your calls. What a relief to find it was a false alarm. I guess that’s the upside and the downside of technology right there!

Hi! My name is Carin.

This is my soapbox - I love to hear and write about interesting things. Check it out!

Welcome to my 'Soapbox'

I love to share what I learn about interesting things and write about lots of 'stuff' including places to visit, eat, and play. You'll also find things related to my family. I guess you could call this a 'blog' but I prefer to think of it as my online journal. Feel free to look around and if you have any comments or an idea about something you'd like me to write about, give me a shout! I'm always looking for new opportunities. Have an eclectic day! (Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email.)